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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Assembly Bill 647

Whole grade sharing grants for school boards. (FE)

Topics: Public Instruction, Department of, School: Administration, School: Finance

Passed the Assembly, then stopped

The Assembly passed it on Nov 19, 2025, but the Senate never voted on it. A bill has to ⁠. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Nov 10, 2025

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed 54 to 43

  4. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to concur in pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 667. That version died when the session ended.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to award four-year grants to school boards that enter into a whole grade sharing agreement. Under the bill, DPI annually pays a grant recipient an amount equal to $500 per pupil enrolled in a grade included in the whole grade sharing agreement in the applicable school year. The bill also prohibits DPI from awarding a grant unless DPI determines that the amount appropriated for this purpose is sufficient to pay the total amount of all the grants that were awarded prior to that grant. In other words, DPI must determine that there is enough money to fully pay out existing grants before awarding a new grant. Under the bill, DPI must submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Finance that includes which school boards received grants and how the money was used in the previous school year.

Under current law, two or more school boards may enter into a whole grade sharing agreement, under which all or a substantial portion of the pupils enrolled in a specified grade in the participating school districts attend the specified grade in one of the participating school districts.

Who's behind it

8 representatives are its ⁠. All 8 are Republicans.

1 more lawmaker ⁠.

See all 9 names

Authors (8)

Signed on in support (1)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

How lawmakers voted

There were 2 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Education vote to recommend it

Passed, 7 to 4 · Nov 13, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Education, Ayes 7, Noes 4”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 54 to 43 · Nov 19, 2025 · 2 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (54)

No (43)

Didn't vote (2)

Official motion: “PASSAGE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Dec 3, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Nov 20, 2025

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Education.

  4. Nov 20, 2025

    The Senate received it.

  5. Nov 19, 2025

    The Assembly passed it, 54 to 43.

  6. Nov 13, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  7. Nov 13, 2025

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 7 to 4.

  8. Nov 11, 2025

    The committee held a public hearing.

  9. Nov 10, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Education.

  10. Nov 10, 2025

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Nov 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Nedweski, Kitchens, Armstrong, Duchow, Gustafson, Murphy, O'Connor and Zimmerman; cosponsored by Senator Felzkowski

  2. Nov 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Education

  3. Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Education, Ayes 7, Noes 4

  6. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 11-19-2025 by Committee on Rules

  8. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  9. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  10. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  11. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 54, Noes 43

  12. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  13. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  14. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Education

  15. Dec 3, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  16. Mar 23, 2026 · Senate

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence. More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote